OHANAMI (お花見)
by Ro Oeuvre Belvedere
Summary: She was someone that meant so much to him. She was the spring blossom that bloomed in the dead of winter. She was the maiden with the tongue as sharp as a katana. She was clever, and she loved to tease. Many believed her life was secured with potential and promises. Yet... no matter how perennial... a flower always wilts.
1. Prologue

_When Sasuke-kun and I finally got together, I was so happy. Finally, he accepted my feelings, he finally allowed me to love him. Everything felt perfect after that, and beyond when I first held our daughter in my arms. Things were rough in the beginning, Sasuke-kun opt to accept missions that lasted weeks to months on end. But, he always came home. Then, seeing my husband help our darling daughter walk for the first time… it was a beautiful sight, much better than I ever imagined. Yet, fate worked against our happily ever after, and Sasuke-kun once again is kept from me, leaving me to raise our daughter all on my own._

 _For sevens years I never seen him. For seven years I never heard from him._

 _But, I accepted it. As Uchiha Sasuke's wife, I need to be supportive, I need to be the ideal woman for him. I need to be there for Sarada and help her be the best she could be. I want her to be even better than me._

 _Seven years went before I finally saw my husband again. It happened in a way I wished it didn't, but it couldn't be helped, and once the last obstacle went away, our family was together again. Sasuke and Sarada were finally connecting, and he's with me. Everything was getting better…_

 _Except…_

On a typical warm day in Konoha, and it feels extra sublime with the terror caused by the Ootsutsuki having recently came to an end. Sakura is relentlessly elatedly side-by-side with her husband, as they watch their daughter proudly with her team. Eventually they went back home, and Sasuke is quick to taking a nap upon the sofa, too tired to even make it to the bed. Sakura is now collecting clothes to wash. Every other moment, as she passes by her husband and gaze upon his face, all relaxed and at ease, she would blush prettily at the mere spectacle. By the nth time her cheeks turn rosy, the corner of her eye notices Sasuke's cloak hung over him on the back of the comfy couch.

 _'He's worn that cloak so often, it must be musky by now.'_ Figuring it best to wash it for him, and hoping for a token of gratitude in return, Sakura carefully takes the cloak. Looking back at Sasuke, she feels a little perplexed that he's still sleeping. _'He must be worn out, all those years travelling and the latest events has finally caught up to him.'_

Silently she steps to the laundry room and begins to sort out the clothes by color and durability. Eventually she reaches for Sasuke's cloak, then pauses.

"What…?" She feels something from within, something thin and small. "That's not a weapon." Bringing the dark cape to her lap, she feels for the hidden pocket. "Never knew Sasuke-kun to be the type to keep personal belongings on his person." It took some time – this mysterious item being well secured – for her to find the covert pocket. When she does find it, she untucks the flimsy parcel, and discovers it to be a photo. Looking at the picture, Sakura has to fight back a squeal.

 _'It's me and Sasuke-kun~!'_

The image shows Sasuke and Sakura standing in front of forestry, with Sasuke delicately embracing Sakura due to her pregnant belly. Almost overwhelmed with giddiness, Sakura is tempted to rush to her husband and risk giving him a big kiss. "When did we take this picture?" The blissful question soon alters into bemusement. "… When _did_ we take this picture?"

She takes a second look of the photo, and soon deciphers that something is off. Her hair was never that long, it never reached close to her ankles. Nor had she ever worn such an embellished kimono, certainly not while traveling during her pregnancy, and the outfit appears pure silk by its sheen. She definitely does not have freckles spangled across her face.

"I don't understand, this looks like me, but… it's _not_ me?"

She begins to notice smaller details, such as the shape of the woman's eyes, her fuller lips, and that wayward strand atop of her head. Through further observation, Sakura notices something especially key: Sasuke looks _younger_ in this picture. Roughly fifteen years old, both his arms intact, during the time he remained defected from Konoha. The other pinkette looks to be the same age. Conjoining all the clues together, the picture quivers in Sakura's clammy hand.

 _'I… I don't understand…'_ The Uchiha matriarch could only stare wide-eyed at the photo quaking into a blur in her grasp. _'What is this…?'_

 _There's much about Sasuke-kun that I don't know about, and I would be lying if I say it's not upsetting on my worst days. But he's been through so much, I couldn't possibly pry and risk him distancing himself from me. I trusted that he would one day tell me everything if I just waited and continue to show him that I'm not going anywhere. I would always be there for him, because I love him._

 _But now… looking at this. Finding something so out of place, something that should_ never _be in my world… at that moment, I don't know what to believe anymore._

 _I don't know my own husband. I don't know this woman! This twisted reflection of a woman!_

 _Just who is she? Why does she look so similar to me? And most importantly, why does Sasuke-kun look so happy being with this… this lookalike!_

 _I want answers and yet… I'm afraid to find out._

 **お**

 **花**

 **見**

 _ **When blinded by love, you tend not to ask necessary questions. When only following your heart, you ignore logic and rationality. When accepting everything in your romance, you overlook things that others would find unsavory. When caught in bliss, you create a veil to possibilities…**_

 _ **Possibilities that perhaps, you're not the source of his happiness. That you're not the center of his heart. That you don't matter to him as much as he matters to you.**_

 _ **As you open yourself to these possibilities, allow the rest of us to venture counterclockwise. Allow us to go and see… see a world that's smaller than yours, but more aesthetic. Let us take on a journey to a place often overshadowed by the shinobi realm.**_

 _ **All those willing are welcome to join, for we are entering the world… of Flowers and Willows.**_

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

 **So here it is, the third installment of my three major Naruto fandom stories. Unlike** _ **NARUTO-NEO**_ **and** _ **KIRO**_ **, where I'm free to change the rules however I want,** _ **OHANAMI**_ **is a story that will be directly connected to the canonical story. It's a challenge, but one I want to try.**

 **As this prologue implied, this story will explore the speculation of Sasuke having had a private life, away from Konoha and away from the way of ninja. This story will also explore the way others view Sasuke and Sakura's relationship – a relationship of one-sided romance and mutual convenience. I gave these two a fair chance, but there's just too much negative aspects that I view their connection would be unhealthy and borderline horrifying in real life.**

 **So, fair warning to Sakura/Sasusaku-fans (and especially Sakura/Sasusaku-stans), if you can't bear the idea of Sasuke and Sakura not having a genuine romance between them, this is NOT the trilogy for you. To the fans, read by your own risk. To the stans… don't waste my time as much as you'll waste your own.**

 **Finally, I trust a lot of you know what the last line implies… this story is definitely going to be quite the experience.**


	2. 踊り子

**お**

 **花**

 **見**

 **・**

 **花**

 **柳**

 **界**

 **・**

 **踊**

 **り**

 **子**

 _ **22 Years Prior…**_

Her feet were careful formations. As if stepping upon stones to cross a gurgling creek. She knew, she was aware… one misstep was all it took. Yet this was her domain, the first time she stepped forth. Right here was her debut to bewitch all eyes towards her.

Her dance needed to flow and maintain control, be relaxed with precision. Classic juxtapositions working harmoniously. Her body moved continuously with the melody, each strum arching her back, turning her head, and directing her limbs a certain way. The fan in one hand barely waved, very faint flutters.

As it reached its end, she and the other dancer stepped forward, as their senior between them remained behind. The older woman's posture remained upright, whereas she and her colleague delicately crouched, purposefully sweeping their streaming sleeves as they placed one hand over the other upon their lap.

The final pluck of the string rang, then died away.

Silence sounded. Then… the slight tense of her shoulders eased away at the anticipated applause.

* * *

 _My life is a collection of canvases. Some are so much of color that it's muddy, abstract. Others are pastel and muted yet so crystal clear. The ones I love most are coherent and vibrant._

* * *

"That was a beautiful performance young lady!" Appraised an elderly man, his eyebrows and beard so thick, his face was hard to see.

The young girl before him, her face embellished white with her bottom lip painted red, gave off lovely peals of giggles. "I am pleased you are enjoying yourself, Kobayashi-dono."

The gray old man chortled. "I am most happy that you came to me of your own free will. The other maidens seem to be magnetized towards all the younger fellows in this wonderful establishment. I feared I had to request one of them to sit with me."

This she could understand perfectly. A lot of the girls had gossiped about serving the most handsome of patrons. "Well, I assure they mean no offense. It is our first time outside our hanamachi. They probably figured that you would prefer one of our Oneesan, whom bear more experience." Her smile is genuine and pleasant.

Even through his thickly facial hair, she could see the man's grin. "Oh they are most lovely. I even have the pleasure of personally knowing your Okaasan when she was your age. But, I enjoy meeting new faces, it does this old heart good knowing I could be just as fun as these youthful lads. Don't let my grayness and wrinkles fool you, young lady, I have plenty of kick to enliven the party!" He winked.

She laughed merrily. "I believe you wholeheartedly! I am not accompanying you out of pity, I assure. I seek to be quite diverse with every patron I meet. Our profession is indiscriminate after all."

"Indeed, missy. Would you care to pour me more of this lovely brew?" He gestured his empty cup.

"It shall be my pleasure, good sir." Carefully she lifted the nearby pot and tipped the spout until a slender stream fell. She stopped once the tea was centimeters from the rim.

"Much obliged!" He immediately took a sip, "Ahh, white jasmine tea, it's the secret to my longevity."

The girl tried hard not to fall into a giggle fit. "Be sure this wisdom doesn't fall into the wrong hands."

Kobayashi playfully wagged a finger. "Oh, we must not have that now. But tea alone isn't enough, I would much enjoy a wonderful game of shougi."

"I would be most honored to be your first opponent of the evening, Kobayashi-dono." The young lady bowed.

At this Kobayashi burst in full-belly laughter. "Splendid, fair maiden! I wouldn't have it any other way!"

"Allow me to retrieve the shougi board then." Delicately she rouse to her okobo-clad feet.

"We shall have a grand time… forgive me I have forgotten your name." He stroked his beard in embarrassment.

The girl of petal pink hair and spring green eyes gave a brilliant grin. "It's no trouble, sir." She bowed once again. "I am Hanami, maiko-kouhai of Usuginu. Please to meet your acquaintance once more."

 **お**

 **花**

 **見**

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

 **I've honestly been fretting on how to start off this story. I've watched some videos on geisha and maiko, as well as doing some serious research so as not to write this story stereotypically. I'm content with how this turned out.**

 **This would be interesting, writing about the world of geisha within the Ninja World. How they make a living and survive in such a world, as well as interact with other geisha of other hanamachi, amongst other possibilities. This story has been on my mind since before the ending of** _ **Naruto**_ **, but I decided to see a bit of the next-gen storyline before I could concretely begin storyboarding, as this fanfic is the behind-the-scenes of the canonical story.**

 **And where does Sasuke play into this picture? All in due time, while he is an essential, he's not the center. He will be recurring, but the fact of the matter is that he lives in a different world from Hanami, but the worlds intermingle from time to time.**

 **I don't know when the next chapter would come out, as I have other stories (both fandom and original) to mind. But wholeheartedly believe this story will progress along with the rest. Till next time then!**

 **||CANVAS DEFINED||**

 _ **Ohanami (**_ _ **お花見**_ _ **)|**_ **The title of the first part of the trilogy. Meaning "flower viewing", specifically "cherry blossom viewing".**

 _ **Karyūkai (**_ _ **花柳界**_ _ **)**_ **| Name of this saga. Literally meaning "World of Flower and Willow". It represents the world of geisha, as well as the alternate term for hanamachi.**

 _ **Odoriko (**_ _ **踊り子**_ _ **)**_ **| Name of this chapter. Meaning "dancer", naturally female, it was the term for dancing girls back in the day (as geisha started out as** _ **men**_ **).**

 **||||GEISHA GLOSSARY||||**

 _ **GEISHA (**_ _ **芸者**_ _ **)**_ **| Literally meaning "performing artist" or "artisan". They are elegant entertainers known for their singing, dancing, and playing instruments. They also have conversation and play games with their guests.**

 _ **MAIKO (**_ _ **舞子**_ _ **)**_ **| Literally translates to "dancing child". They are geisha apprentices.**

 _ **HANAMACHI (**_ _ **花街**_ _ **)**_ **| Literally meaning "flower town". It is the district where geisha and maiko reside. It is a closely-knit community, as they highly value their reputation, especially since there's not much geisha districts in real life today.**

 _ **ONĒSAN (**_ _ **お姉さん**_ _ **)**_ **| Translating to "older sister" or "ma'am" in the geisha community. It is the honorific used by maiko and junior geisha towards their superior.**

 _ **OKĀSAN (**_ _ **お母さん**_ _ **)**_ **| Literally meaning "mother". They are the proprietress of the geisha house known as _okiya_ (置屋).**

 _ **DONO (**_ _ **殿**_ _ **)**_ **| Also pronounced Tono. An honorific that translates to "lord" or "master". It's not necessarily for one of noble status, but it is more formal than -san and -sama.**

 _ **SHŌGI (**_ _ **将棋**_ _ **)**_ **| Japanese chess, aka Shikamaru's favorite game.**

 _ **OKOBO (**_ _ **おこぼ**_ _ **)**_ **| Highly wedged, wooden sandals typically worn by maiko during apprenticeship. They are worn so maiko could prevent their kimono from touching the ground. The footwear is usually made from willow wood.**

 _ **KŌHAI**_ **(** **後輩** **)| Meaning junior, it is addressed to junior-level maiko (note that junior maiko only have their bottom lip thinly painted red, while their upper lip is left bare).**

 _ **USUGINU**_ **(** **薄絹** **)| Translates to "sheer silk" or "veil" referring to mystery. It is the name of the hanamachi that Hanami resides.**

 _ **HANAMI (**_ _ **花見**_ _ **)**_ **| Also meaning "flower viewing", specifically "cherry blossom viewing". It is the geisha name of our protagonist.**


End file.
